Bale tie



Jan. 13, 1959 F, A; TE 'PLE; R 2,867,872

BALE TIE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1955 INVENTO R FRANKATE EPLE JR.

ATTORNEY 3 Jan. 13, 1959 L JR 2,867,872

BALE TIE Filed Feb. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 4.-

L2 INVENTOR J FRANK ATEYEPLE an BY Sm 5W ATTORNEYS BALE TIE Frank A. Teeple, Jr., Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Atlantic Steel Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Delaware Application February 24, 1955, Serial No. 490,203

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-26) This invention relates to bale ties and more particularly to bale ties of the permanent type, that is, to bale ties that may be used over and over again; and also more particularly relates to a fastening device or hook for releasably fastening together the ends of a bale tie when applied to a bale of cotton, hemp, or other baleable material.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Patent No. 2,773,291, issued to me on December 11, 1956, for Bale .Tie.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a strong, durable and inexpensive bale tie which may be used over and over again, which may be fastened about a bale easily and quickly and when so fastened holds strongly and will not become loosened inadvertently when the bale is handled or from strains applied thereto, and may be unfastened and the ends of the bands released quickly and easily without damaging or weakening the tie or impairing it for repeated use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a per manent bale tie having on one end a fastening hook which may be on and may be manipulated with equal facility from either side of the tie band to fasten together and to unfasten the tie band ends.

Another object is to provide a permanent bale tie ofthe character stated and so constructed that the parts may be shipped separately and thereby saving expense and enhancing safety and convenience and the parts assembled easily and conveniently.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved bale tie fastening device or hook whereby the ends of a bale tie may be fastened together easily and conveniently and which holds the tie ends together strongly and positively without danger of loosening, and a fastening device which may be manipulated quickly and easily to unfasten the ends of the tie without damaging or weakening the tie or the fastening device and leaving the tie and the fastening device unimpaired for use again.

A furtherobject of this invention is to provide a bale tie fastening device of the character stated, and which is simple, durable, compact, integral and inexpensive in construction and comprises no moving parts.

Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In accordance with this invention the fastening device or hook includes broadly a shaped elongated, one-piece rod-like member rotatably carried on one end of a bale tie and having a shouldered end adapted when directed in one direction to be inserted through a fastening hole in the-other and overlapping end of the tie, and when the fastening device is turned to. reverse the direction of the shouldered end, the ends of the bale tie are fastened together in a strong, sturdy and durable manner. The ends of the fastened bale tie may be released from each other by merely turning the fastening device to move the locking end of the device to face in the opposite and tie releasing direction.

' illustrating certain possible embodiments of this invention, and in which:

Patented Jan. 13, 1959 The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and the scope of the application of which will be set forth in the claims that follow.

In order that a clearer understanding of this invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the opposite ends of a bale tie fastened together by a fastening device or hook in accordance with one possible embodiment of this invention, and showing in dash lines the fastening device pointed in the direction in which it is when a tie end is to be engaged with the fastening device and before the ends are fastened together, and in which position the fastened tie ends become released from each other;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, and is. taken onthe line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but showing another possible embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view thereof; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the hook retainer separate from the assembly.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the bale tie comprises a strip or band 10 of strong metal, such as band iron or steel, called a bale band. One end of this band is doubled back upon itself for a distance, as at 11, to reinforce this end .of the band, and the two plies, thus established, may be spot welded together if desired. The other end of band 10.

is spot welded to a metal reinforcing strip or plate 12 which extends some distance along this end of band 10,

and is disposed either over or under band 10 as desired. I

Instead of doubling the one end of the band upon itself for reinforcement, a flat reinforcing plate, such as plate; 12, may be welded to this band end instead. A bale tie fastening hole, such as 13, is provided through the reinthe fastening holes 14 of the other end of band 10 to,

fasten the opposite ends of band 10 together.

The fastening device or hook as shown, consists of an elongated, shaped, integral rod of strong material such as iron, steel, or the like, the rod having a straight central shank portion 15 from the front end of which a small.

shoulder or neck portion 16 extends at substantially right angles to the shank 15 and from the outer end of neck 16 an end portion 17 extends forwardly at a slight upward slant and with the neck 16 forms a hook. Ex-

tending from the rear end of shank 15 is a portion 18 r in the shape of an inverted U, with the plane of this U'- shaped portion 18 is substantially the same plane as are the neck 16 and the portion 17. The rear leg 19 of the U portion 18 extends somewhat below the level of the shank 15 andconstitutes an anchor adapted to be pressed into the material of a bale which is tied by the bale tie to prevent inadvertent or accidental displacement of the rear end of the fastening device sidewise, and the turning of the device in the fastening holes at the band ends.

To aid in placing the fastening device in" engagement with one of the fasteningholes 14 of/the band end opposite the fastening device, a notch "20 niay be made. in the top of the end;portion 17 to-catchand hold this end of the tie band at one of its holes 14 temporarily while the fastening device is turned to complete the fastening of the two band ends together. However, the notch 20 may be omitted, in which case the fastening hole 14 of the opposite band end is held over the end 17 p of the fastening device until the device has been rotated sutficiently to hook into the fastening hole and grasp the band end.

The reinforcing plate 12 may be formed with a tab at one side and which is bent downwardly, as at 21, across aside of the shank 15 and then bent across underneath end 17 of the fastening device, and which protrudes through the fastening hole 13 at one end of band 10, toward the other and opposite end of band 10. This other end of the band 10 is then threaded onto the end portion '17 of the fastening device until an edge of the fastening hole 14 therein, and which is receiving the end 17, engages in the notch of the end portion 17. Then using the end portion 18 of the fastening device as a handle, the fastening device is rotated approximately 180 in a sidewise direction and turns the end portion 17 to point or face in the opposite direction than before. When the end portion 17 is so turned the band end which was engaged in the notch 20 is caused to slide down over the rear of end 17 and over the neck 16, the tension of the band 10 .pulling the edge of the engaged fastening hole tightly against one side of neck 16 and pulling the edge of the other end of band 10 tightly against the other side of neck 16. When the fastening device is in this latter and fastening position the downwardly projecting rear leg 19 of the U formation 18 may be pushed down into the material of the bale to anchor the device against sidewise movement, which would tend to loosen the fasten-.

When the fastening de- To unfasten and release the tie band 10 from the bale X it is only necessary to unanchor the rear end of the fastener from the material of the bale and to rotate the fastening device approximately 180 to reverse the direction of the end portion 17, whereupon the uppermost end of the band 10 will usually spring ofli of the end portion 17 of the fastening device due to the springiness and the tension of the band 10. Otherwise, this end of the band 10 may easily be pried oif the end 17.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, a reinforcing plate 30 is welded on the end of the tie band 10 which does not carry the fastening device or hook and a reinforcing plate 31 has an end portion 31a welded to The fastening device or hook retainer consists of a flat metal plate 33 having toward one end a hole 34 through which the neck portion 16 of the fastening device or hook is adapted to extend rotatably. The other end 35 of the plate 32 is reduced in size and is in the shape of an inverted U of a size suitable to embrace the shank portion 15 of the retainer device or hook when its neck 16 is disposed in hole 34. When the shank 15 of the fastening hook is so seated in the end portion 35 of the plate 33 the walls of this inverted U-shaped portion 35 may be crimped under the shank 15 and the fastening device or book may thus be permanently fastened to the retainer 33. I

Retainer plate 33 is adapted to seat and to ride in the gap 32 between the plate 31 and the, end of the band 10 to which plate 31 is attached, with the neck 16 of the fastening device or hook extending through the fastening hole 13 provided therefor in the band end. The usual fastening holes 14 are provided in the'other end of the band 10 and in the reinforcing plate 30 thereon.

With this assembly the bale band, the hook element and the retaining plate 33 can be packed and shipped separately which is conducive of lower costs, and greater safety and convenience.

The fastening device or hook can easily, quickly and conveniently be permanently assembled to the bale band and against displacement therefrom by first inserting the retainer plate in the gap 32, placing the hole 34 of the plate in alignment with'the holes in the reinforcing plate 31 and *band end, threading the hook end of the fastening device through these holes, placing the shank of the fastening device into the U-shaped end of the retainer plate, and then crimping the walls .of this U- shaped part 35 under and around the under side of the shank.

Further, with this construction the fastening hook element may be on either side of the tie band and engageable with and disengageable from the other end of the tie band with equal facility. 7

A permanent bale tie embodying this modification of the invention is fastened and released in the sa-rne manner as stated for the bale band of the modification first described.

Thus a bale tie constructed in accordance with this invention andequipped with a fastening device as described above may be used time and time again, and at the same time is simple, strong and durable in construction and may be fastened and unfastened readily and easily'and holds positively and firmly in place and will not become loosened or displaced by shocks and strains encountered during the handling of the bale to which the tie is applied; and at the same time-the bale tie with the fastening device-thereon "is compact in size and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. As changes may be made in certain details of the construction without departing from the scope -of this invention, it is understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompartying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A permanent :bale tie corn-prising a "bale band having 'a fasten'ing hole at each end, a rod-like fastening hook having an elongated :central shank portion underlying the ends of said bale band and an upstanding neck at one end of the shank portion terminating in a forwardly and upwardly slanting hoo'k end, said neck being permanently seated rotatably in the fastening hole at-one end .of said bale band and rotatably engageable in afastening hole in the other end ofthe bale band, whereby when the fastening hook is turned "to point said slanting end in :one direction relatively to the-bale band the engaged ends of thebale "band are *held together and when the fastening hook 'is turned to an 'opposite d'irection relatively to the bale band, said other-end ofthe' bale band is disengaged and released from the fastening hook, and i a handle formation on the other end of' said shank por- 5 tion extending above said bale band whereby the fastening hook may be turned to change the facing direction of said hook end, said bale tie including a retainer plate having a hole penetrated by said neck of the fastening hook and disposed intermediate the shank portion of the fastening hook and said one end of the bale band, retaining the fastening hook against dislodgement from said one end of the bale band, and means connecting said plate to the fastening hook for turning movement therewith.

2. A bale tie as set forth in claim 1 and including a reinforcing plate having an end portion attached to the under side of said one band end and having the remaining portion of said plate offset downwardly from the bale band forming therewith an intermediate gap, and said retainer plate being movably seated in said gap.

3. A bale tie as set forth in claim 1 in Which said hole in said retainer plate is toward one end of the plate and the plate at its opposite end has a portion crimped about the shank of the fastening hook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 156,965 Allan et a1. Nov. 17, 1874 181,183 King Aug. 15, 1876 2,773,291 Teeple Dec. 11, 1956 

